Please join me this week in giving a warm welcome to a couple of newcomers to the Rogues’ Gallery of Janice Readers. First up is Ineke Sterringa. Her snapshot shows her relaxing in her garden in the far north of the Netherlands with a somewhat caustic companion, Smilla the puss. Ineke named her cat after the main character of a fabulous Nordic Noir novel by the Danish writer Peter Høeg. Smilla’s Sense of Snow happens to be one of my favorites too. Although the books are in different genres—Becoming Janice is a coming-of-age story, not a crime novel—Ineke liked Janice as much as she liked Smilla.

First good read

This is what Ineke said about Becoming Janice. “I finished reading the book in only three days. It’s not just a page turner, but well-constructed. Janice’s journey is divided into periods that relate to her love and friendship with the important people in her life. The book also paints a vivid picture of a time when AIDS was unknown by name…. I was drawn into the story immediately and empathized with Janice’s sometimes bizarre experiences. In short, a thumping good read!”

Second good read

Second newcomer to the Rogues Gallery of Janice Readers also appreciates both Becoming Janice and Smilla’s Sense of Snow. Jill Proudfoot is a New Zealand-based, retired ballet teacher, active dog lover and inveterate world traveller recently spotted in the small town of Chuy, straddling the border between Uruguay and Brazil.

Back in New Zealand, Jill posted a somewhat discombulated selfie (first photo) for the Rogues’ Gallery on my author page on Facebook. “My copy of Janice is on my Kindle.” She explained, “I took a screenshot of the cover and sent it to my computer, but as you see, the effort didn’t achieve the optimum result.”

Don’t worry, Jill. I managed to unflip Janice for you. But seriously now, back to Smilla. JiIl borrowed the book from the UNITEC library back in 2002, and she was bowled over by the writing. “Smilla altered my thinking in ways I can’t even explain. Peter Høeg understands and uses language in a unique way.”

Smilla’s Sense of Snow instantly made a deep impression on me. And Ineke, Jill and I are not the only ones to feel its effect. First published in 1992, the book has become an international sensation.

This is from the publisher’s blurb: “When caustic Smilla Jaspersen discovers that her neighbor—a neglected six-year-old boy, and possibly her only friend—has died in a tragic accident, a peculiar intuition tells her it was murder. Unpredictable to the last page, Smilla’s Sense of Snow is one of the most beautifully written and original crime stories of our time, a new classic.”

Find Peter Høeg on Goodreads, Macmillan publishers, and Wikipedia

Third good read